Tanker at centre of sinking probe

LES SABLES-D'OLONNE, France -- Investigators are trying to establish whether there is a link between a holed chemical tanker and the sinking of a French trawler with the loss of four of its seven crew.

On Monday the Norwegian tanker Bow Eagle began spilling chemicals into the sea near the Channel Islands.

French investigators said an inquiry had been launched into the incident, which is not believed to present a major pollution risk.

Earlier on Monday, the French trawler Cistude was shipwrecked further south -- about 120 kilometres (75 miles) off the western coast of Brittany.

Four people died but survivors said the trawler had collided with an unidentified cargo vessel.

About 10 large cargo vessels were in the area when the Cistude sank.

Pierre Rousset, public prosecutor in the Atlantic coastal town of Les Sables-d'Olonne, said: "At present, the investigation is not aimed at anyone in particular."

On Tuesday, French navy experts were due to be winched aboard a cargo vessel to inspect the damage.

Norwegian ship-owner Odfjell issued a statement on Tuesday saying it was helping French investigators with their inquiries.

Odfjell senior vice president Hans Lund told Reuters: "We cannot rule out that our ship has been involved since it was in the area.

"If it should become clear that our ship was involved in this, it would be a very serious matter indeed.

"But we cannot say that for certain until the ship has been investigated properly -- no one can."

The Cistude's three survivors were rescued after spending nine hours in the sea. Relatively warm summer temperatures meant they suffered only mild exposure.

They later told how three of their crew had been instantly killed on collision, while a fourth was pulled under the water after trying to cling onto a buoy.

The 15,829-tonne Bow Eagle, en route from Brazil to the Dutch port of Rotterdam, signalled on Monday that it had spilled 200 tonnes of ethyl acetate in a stretch of sea some 30 nautical miles west of the Channel Islands.

Maritime authorities said ethyl acetate was easily soluble and biodegradable and the spillage did not endanger wildlife.

"The product is volatile and non-polluting in the quantities that have been leaked. There are quite strong northeasterly currents which should allow it to disperse in the water," a spokesman for the coastal authority said.

In October 2000, the Italian ship, The Levoli Sun, sank off the Channel island of Alderney causing an environmental hazard.

The ship was carrying 4,000 tonnes of styrene, a highly toxic and corrosive hydrocarbon used for making synthetic plastics, as well as 2,000 tons of other chemicals, including isopropyl and methyl ethyl ketone.